It really is a small world – at least according to Liz Hall and Justin Koester. The two seniors met up for Asian cuisine in Dupont and discovered that they have many mutual friends. After an exotic drink and chocolate cake, the blind daters ended the night quite sure that their friends will bring them together again soon.

Date Bios

Name: Liz Hall
Year: Senior
Age: 22
Hometown: Chittenden, Vt.

Name: Justin Koester
Year: Senior
Age: 22
Hometown: Edina, Minn.

What is your ideal first date?

Hall: Probably something non-committal. Getting drinks or coffee. Just testing the waters. Something with a good escape clause.

Koester: I’d say dinner with a walk afterwards and maybe some ice cream if we haven’t had dessert already, but definitely something centering around food.

What do you look for in a person?

Hall: Someone who has a good sense of humor, is honest and straightforward.

Koester: I like a good sense of humor. Someone easy to talk to who is a good listener. Also, someone that challenges me as well as themselves.

What are your own interests?

Hall: I like traveling and discovering new people and places. The outdoors.

Koester: I’m involved in sports like golf, skiing or just running. Reading or dinner and hanging out with friends are also appealing.

Justin Koester

Koester: This was my first blind date, and I have to say it went pretty well. I may have been a little awkward, as I have a tendency to be quiet at times, but I carried the conversation well.

We discovered we have a lot in common, including many friends. We probably have 100 friends within one degree of separation between the two of use. For instance, her neighbor went to Chile with one of my friends.

For a first date, it was an A to an A-. With a first date you really can’t expect more or less. We’ll probably bring our friends together because they seem to be pretty interchangeable. This could happen at a party at an unnamed location in the future.

Liz Hall

Hall: I have never been on a blind date before, which made my mother very nervous. My mom was concerned that I would be set up with someone crazy. That was not the case however, as far as I can tell.

We met at Raku and even our waiter was excited that we were on a date. It wasn’t awkward because we immediately found out we have about 400 friends in common on Facebook. I guess seniors here just basically know everyone.

The waiter really pushed the chocolate cake for dessert, and Justin eventually gave in to temptation.

I had a really fun time and would give the date an ‘A.’ Justin is a great dinner companion and we may meet up at a party of mutual friends in the future.

“GW Blind Date” is a regular feature in the Life section modeled after Washington Post Magazine’s Date Lab. If you would like to be set up on a blind date with another GW student, e-mail <a href="[email protected][email protected].